Among Giants
by Red Berin
Summary: An accident with a deadly poison leaves the team rushing to not only destroy it but to save Barbara from its devastating effects. Set at the end of "Crisis."


Hello! This is my second foray into Doctor Who fanfiction. I've used some dialogue directly from the "Crisis" episode of "Planet of Giants." I'm a unsure of this one, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyways!

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She was dying. He felt it with each haggard breath she took. Her head rested against his chest and her eyes were shut tight against the poison ravaging her body. The Doctor could probably calculate exactly what was in the insecticide, but simply knowing wouldn't save her. Her skin was hot under his touch. While they waited anxiously, the Doctor had moved forward to observe their hard work. Ian only thought of how it all would mean nothing if they couldn't get Barbara back to the TARDIS in time.

A deafening explosion sent Susan to covering her ears. Ian grasped Barbara's shoulder with his free hand and drew her closer. Susan looked back and her worried eyes lingered on Barbara for a moment before she asked, "Do you think that destroyed the insecticide?"

Ian was about to answer when the Doctor hurried towards them, triumphantly declaring that their plan had worked. Glancing down at Barbara, Ian realized that she hadn't heard the Doctor's news, but there was no time to tell her. He started to move forward and attempted to hold Barbara up as he went. She would've fallen if Susan hadn't rushed to help support her.

The three moved as a unit to the sink. As they approached, Ian and Susan heard a small voice between them. "What happened?"

"We're getting you back to the ship," Ian said.

"The insecticide?" Barbara asked.

Ian couldn't help but smile. Leave it to Barbara to worry about others when she was dying. "It's gone. We destroyed it."

"Good."

"Come on, Barbara," Susan said as she led the older woman to the drain plug. She held Barbara's hand, helping her to grab on to the chain.

While Susan worked, Ian found the Doctor was far behind them. "Keep going," he instructed. "I'll be right there."

Looking up at Susan, Barbara asked, "Where's he going?"

"To help Grandfather," Susan said simply. She sat on the ground by the chain and began the painstaking process of helping Barbara climb down into the sink. Each link on the chain was a challenge. Susan stayed a few above Barbara so she could reach down and help her. A few times, Barbara's arms would give out and Susan would have to reach down and hold her up until she could get a hold of the chain again. The descent was slow going, but Susan's constant words of encouragement reminded Barbara of their urgency.

Finally, Barbara felt the solid sink underneath her feet. Before she could do anything, her legs wobbled underneath her and she fell to her knees. She heard Susan call out in surprise and felt the girl's hands on her arms, pulling her back up.

"Sorry," Barbara muttered. She tried to steady herself and found that her legs didn't want to cooperate.

Susan stood by her side, offering her shoulder for Barbara to lean on. "It's alright. We can take a little break and wait for Ian and Grandfather."

As if on cue, the Doctor's face peered over the top of the sink. "Out of the way, you two!" he yelled down. They moved back and the Doctor lifted something over the edge. One of the deadly seeds dropped from his cape. Susan led Barbara farther away as the seed landed in the sink.

Barbara stared at the deceivingly harmless seed. Had it only been about an hour since she had touched one of them? Ian had been right about the insecticide's danger, but everything he had said had only made her feel worse for her stupid mistake.

Ian and the Doctor made their way down the plug and into the sink. A look of worry flashed across Ian's face upon finding Barbara leaning so heavily on Susan. He crossed over and stopped in front of her. She knew he was there; she could feel his concerned gaze gauging her condition. A feeling of shame overwhelmed her and she couldn't bring herself to look back at him. Two hands touched either side of her face, moving her head so that she had to face him.

Her skin was damp with perspiration and it felt so hot under his hands. She looked down, still avoiding his stare. "Barbara?" he said. At last, she met his eyes. "Do you think you can climb down the drain?"

He dropped his hands and she walked to the drain. Susan and Ian followed her. "How did you climb up, Susan?" Barbara asked.

"It's really eroded. There are a lot of footholds you can grab on to," Susan explained. She knelt by the drain to investigate it.

With a sigh, Barbara joined Susan. She could see lines along the drain that would let her climb down, miniscule lines that she would never be able to notice at her regular size. "I think I can do it," she said.

"You have to, my dear." The Doctor had joined them and placed one hand on Barbara's back. The other clutched the seed wrapped in his cloak. "It's the closest way out and we don't have the time to search for another."

"I'll climb down next to you. If you start to slip, I can help you," Ian offered. Barbara nodded her head. Her heart beat violently, but this was the only way out.

"You go on down first, Susan," the Doctor said. "I'll go last." He placed the seed on the ground and carefully wrapped it in his cloak. There was enough fabric left for him to tie the seed to his back. Susan helped him make sure that he would not directly touch the deadly insecticide. "Let's get moving then, shall we?"

Susan scrambled over the edge of the drain and started her descent. Her feet searched the drain for places that would hold her up. When she was far enough down not to see the sink any more, she called up, "Come on, Barbara. You can go where I go."

Ian held Barbara's hand as she lowered herself into the drain. He then slid into the pipe alongside her. When they had gotten far enough down, he told the Doctor to follow them. "How are you holding up?" he asked Barbara.

"I think I'm alright so far," she said. Her heavy breathing suggested otherwise, but Ian didn't question her.

The team moved wordlessly down the pipe, fiercely concentrating on their downward journey. The pipe was dark and damp. A faint scent of chemicals hung in the air. Some slimy spots almost caused a few slipups, but no one had problems until about a quarter of the way down. The Doctor cried out in surprise. Ian, Barbara, and Susan looked up in alarm to see a pair of feet dangling freely above them.

"Grandfather!"

"I'm fine, child!" the Doctor yelled back. His feet scrabbled against the pipe. After a few moments of panicked silence, his three companions sighed in relief when he found a safe foothold. "There, see? We really must keep going," he said already lowering himself more.

After his fear subsided, Ian relapsed back into his fragile state of a calm hurry. Every time Barbara paused, his mind filled with terror. Why did she stop? Had the poison done too much? Or was she simply looking for footing? Each of her unexpected movements made him anxious as he prepared to reach out for her if she really did lose her grip. He couldn't lose her now, not after they had been through so much together. She survived Daleks and the French Revolution. He would help her survive this.

He thought of the way she refused to let them take her back to the TARDIS. Her stubborn expression and the Doctor's agreement nearly made him snap. Susan was so worried about her. He had thought she was being absolutely ridiculous. However, with time to think, he realized that she was right, of course. He wouldn't let that end her life.

Making a plan and executing it had taken so long. She had done as much as she could to help destroy the insecticide. The terrible thought that her work would kill her crossed Ian's mind for a moment, but he shook it away. They would get her back to normal size. She was going to be fine.

"We're almost there!" Susan announced, bringing Ian out of his thoughts. When he looked down, he could see a light at the bottom of the pipe. It had to be daylight.

Barbara murmured, "Thank heav –"

A scream reverberated throughout the pipe. Ian instinctively reached out for Barbara. His fingers clutched one of her hands. The weight on his arm pulled his body downwards and his free limbs strained to support both him and Barbara. Her hand was slipping out of his. He desperately tried to pull her up to let her grab onto something.

"Get out of the way, Susan!" Barbara shouted. A last attempt to seize onto something failed. Her fingers slid through Ian's and she fell.

Susan, too late, reached out for Barbara's hand. She felt fingers vainly grasping for hers. Barbara dropped past Susan, painfully thudded against the bottom of the pipe, and rolled outside.

Blood churned in Ian's veins like ocean waves. The waves crashed in his ears, blocking out any other sounds. The pumping adrenaline let him hurry down the rest of the drain. He reached the bottom at the same time as Susan and the two sprinted to Barbara's side.

"Come on, Barbara!" Ian pulled her arm, attempting to help her off the ground.

Her eyelids opened slightly against the piercing daylight. She felt Ian's frantic tugging and instinctively tried to sit up. A tremor began somewhere along her spine and passed upwards through her shoulders and down her arms. Her body, now severely weakened, rebelled against her and dropped back onto the cement.

The Doctor had caught up to the others and quickly analyzed the situation. "There's no more time for us to wait, Chesterton." Ian jumped at the sound of his name. Not having noticed, the Doctor continued, "Carry her back to the ship, will you?"

This order embedded itself into Ian's mind and he immediately reacted upon it. His hands grabbed hers, pulling her off the ground. He crouched underneath her and his shoulder bore her weight. The similarity with this and what had happened with the fly did not escape him.

Barbara gasped at the sudden movement, surprised. Once Ian had found a way to securely hold her, she relaxed. His quick, steady pace was soothing to her after all the strain she had just had put her body through. A surge of exhaustion overcame her, Ian had only taken a few steps before she let the calling blackness take over.

The walk, or run, back to the TARDIS wasn't without its hitches, although it did prove to be significantly easier than the previous part of the journey. The team worked together to climb cliffs made of dirt, cliffs that would only be small bumps on the ground if the team were normal sized. While he ran, Ian noticed that Barbara's breathing had become steady. It would have been a cause for relief if it meant she was alright. Ian, regrettably, knew better. Fear began to rise in his throat. Instead of letting it overwhelm him, he doubled his efforts to get her back. He couldn't let himself think he had failed her.

A final turn brought a familiar shade of blue into sight. Ian quickened his pace when he saw the flashing beacon on top of the TARDIS. When he reached the locked door, he faced the Doctor and Susan, impatiently tapping his foot. The Doctor rummaged in his pockets for the key, finally pulling it out after stopping at Ian's side. His hands momentarily fumbled with the key and the lock. A click echoed off the rocks around the ship and the door slid open.

Ian pushed through, his feet leading him to a sole chair. He gently lowered Barbara into the seat. Her eyes opened briefly just to close again.

"Doctor?" Ian said, unable to hide his worry.

"I know, dear boy. I'll be but a few minutes," the Doctor placed the seed next to the chair and hurried to the ship's controls.

Two trembling hands rose to rest on the sides of Barbara's face. She didn't stir. The Doctor might need a few minutes, but Ian wasn't sure she had any to spare.

Susan approached the chair and knelt at Barbara's side. "Grandfather knows what he's doing. He'll help her." The statement was directed at Ian, but he wasn't certain that Susan meant it more for herself.

Ian couldn't stay still any longer. He joined the Doctor at the console while the older man was voicing his thoughts. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked. Not doing anything was too much to bear.

"Yes. That seed over there, by the chair," the Doctor pointed, "Take it over to that table so we can all see it. Wrap that around when you do it." He pulled off his cloak, handed it to Ian, and immediately turned back to the console.

Steeling himself, Ian returned to Barbara's side. The seed was so close to her, not that it mattered now. As he bent down to pick it up, he chanced a look at Barbara. Her condition remained unchanged. Susan caught his eyes. Even if she tried, there was no hiding the fear she felt.

The seed was light. Its deceptive appearance never hinted at its deadly capabilities. One touch was enough to kill a fly, enough to kill – No. She was still alive. He refused to think of her as otherwise. The lights of the TARDIS began to dim and the familiar, distinct sound of its taking off filled the team's ears. Ian joined the Doctor and waited. When his anxiety threatened to seize him completely, he spoke up, "Doctor?" The older man gave a quick shake of his head. Ian tried again, "Doctor, I –"

The Doctor shushed him. He paused to listen to the TARDIS. "I think it's working." He laughed. "Yes! I think it's working, my boy!"

"Doctor! Look at that seed!"

The two men watched as the seed shrunk until they could no longer see it. "Yes! Yes!" The Doctor cheered and clapped his hands together. "We've done it! Yes! We've done it!"

Ian was still transfixed on the seed. "Doctor, it's incredible! That seed, it's completely vanished!"

Giving Ian a quick pat on the shoulder, the Doctor chuckled. "No, no, my dear boy, no." He walked over to the seed and picked it up. He grasped it between his fingers and said, "It hasn't vanished at all!"

The seed really hadn't disappeared. Ian held out his hand for the Doctor to place the seed. He held it up to his eyes. They really had gotten back to their normal sizes.

Susan's voice brought Ian back to his senses. He turned to see what she was talking about and saw Barbara awake, drinking water out of a glass. A wide smile spread across his face. He gave the seed back to the Doctor and the two men joined the women.

Barbara and the Doctor had some kind of conversation about the escape from the laboratory. All of their words went over Ian's head. She was alive. She was alive and cured. It wasn't until the Doctor suggested the group wash up that Ian tuned back in to what was going on. Barbara stood up and Ian hurried to link his arm with hers. That small gesture would have to do for now.

As Barbara was still shaky, Susan and Ian helped her down one of the TARDIS corridors. They stopped outside and Susan said, "Go ahead, Barbara."

Ian agreed, "Yes, you deserve a hot shower after what's happened today."

With a tired smile, Barbara stepped inside the bathroom. She said, "Thank you, both of you. I wouldn't have been able to make it back without your help." The door closed behind her with a small click.

"There's another bathroom around here," Susan said. "I can show you where it's at."

"You go ahead first. I'll wait," Ian said.

"I think there's another one if –"

"No, that's alright. I'll just wait."

Although confused, Susan didn't push the matter any further. She wandered down the hall and around the corner, leaving him to whatever he was up to.

The stress of the last few hours caught up with Ian. Events all washed over him at once and he was left feeling drained. With everything that happened, Barbara was safe. He was, admittedly, terrified that she wouldn't make it through. Just the thought of failing her was enough to make him cringe. He couldn't help but wish she was with him, even though she was right behind the door. It was ridiculous, he knew, feeling lost when she was so close.

At some point, Ian sat next to the bathroom door with his back against the wall. He didn't remember doing so with his overloaded mind. Eventually, the door swung open and he heard a small yelp. He started apologizing, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Ian!" Barbara exclaimed, tightly pulling her robe, her hair wrapped in a bath towel. "What are you doing?"

What was he doing there? He couldn't remember why he had sat down. "I was just. . . waiting to use the bathroom." It sounded reasonable, at least.

Barbara seemed to relax a little. "Is it really best for you to sit right next to the door like that?"

"I have nothing else to do," Ian replied, shrugging.

"Well, the shower's free now. I think I'll head off to bed."

An odd feeling of panic settled over Ian. He couldn't quite explain it, but he knew it had something to do with her. "Wait," he said, getting to his feet.

She studied him for a moment. "Are you alright? You look exhausted."

He almost laughed aloud at that. She had almost died, yet she asks him how he's feeling. "It's nothing, really. A long day, that's all," he said.

"Don't we all know that," she chuckled. "Why don't you wash up and get to bed?"

The impulse to hold her suddenly became too much for him. He wrapped his arms around hers and pulled her close. Taken aback, Barbara stiffened at first. When the shock faded, she relaxed at his touch. A quiet voice next to her ear whispered, "I had been so afraid that I was going to lose you."

A feeling of guilt crept up on her. "I'm sorry, Ian. I should've never touched those seeds. If I hadn't insisted on getting rid of the poison . . ." she trailed off.

"We could've taken you back here and handled it ourselves."

"It doesn't matter now. The poison's gone and we're back to normal. I'm not sick anymore."

"I was so frightened. I don't know what I would do without –"

"Everything's alright," she whispered, running a hand through his hair. He held her tighter and she felt the worry and tension in his body.

"Please don't do that to me again," Ian said. Keeping his hands on her shoulders, he pulled away from the embrace to look at the woman he almost lost.

She chuckled. Neither of them knew what their travels would bring them next. She offered what she thought to be comforting, "I promise that I'll try not to."

A small spread across his face, despite his lingering worry. "I suppose that's the best I'll get."

Barbara found herself stepping closer to him. She shyly glanced at his lips and then met his stare. Before she could think twice, she pressed her lips to his. She kissed him for only a few seconds and pulled away. "Thank you for everything, Ian."

He watched her walk down the corridor and into her room, hoping that she realized, however quick it was, he returned the kiss.

Further down the hall, hidden behind a corner, Susan giggled to herself, having seen everything.

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Thanks for reading!


End file.
